Signal apparatus



June 10 1924. 1,497,527

D: J. MEYER ET AL.

SIGNAL APBHRATUS Filed May 18. 1923 Patented June 10, 1924-.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DONALD J. MEYER AND VIOLA MEYER, OF ROCKY RIVER, OHIO.

SIGNAL APPARATUS.

Application filed May 18,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DONALD J. MEYER and VIOLA MEYER, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Rocky River, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio,have jointly invented a new and useful Improvement in Signal Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to signal apparatus having illuminable characters. thereon.

The main object of our invention is an efficient and simple signal apparatus adapted to efficiently display one or more signals or signs and to selectively display one or more of these signals or signs. Other objects will appear during the description of the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a general perspective view of a signal apparatus embodying the features of our invention, in a certain application of our invention, and showing the general appearance of this particular apparatus with the operating lever on the outside; Fig. 2'is a horizontal section taken on a plane indicated by the line 2-2 in Fig. 1 showing the interior construction of the casing and the relation of the lamp thereto with the opaque side of the lamp facing the rear wall in this view; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on a plane indicated by the line 3-3 in Fig. 1 showing the mounting of the lamp more clearly with the opaque side of the lamp also facing the rear wall and showing how the light rays from the transparent side of the lamp illumine both of the compartments and characters; Fig. l is a Vertical section of the upper portion of the apparatus taken on a plane indicated by the line 4e in Fig. 3 showing the relation of the lamp to the dividing wall, the opaque side of the lamp facing the top wall in this view to illumine the lower compartment of the case onl gimilar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the views.

The apparatus shown in the accompanying drawing has a casing comprising the top wall 10, the bottom wall 11, the end walls 12 and 13, the rear wall 14, the front wall 15, and the division wall 16.

The bottom wall 11 is provided with the opening 17 extending substantially the en 1823. Serial No. 639,754.

tire length of the casing. Adjacent to this opening and near each end of the casing are the lugs 18 and 19 projecting downward from the bottom wall and are provided with openings for the bolts 20 and 21 wherewith the casing and the license plate 22 are held to the bracket 23.

The rear wall 14 is, in this instance, curved as shown in Fig. 3 to act as a reflector.

The end wall 12 is provided with the boss 24 in which the stub 25 is rotatably mounted.

The stub 25 is hollow and the lamp socket 26 is mounted in this hollow. The lamp 27 fits this socket 26 and makes the necessary electrical connections therein as is usual in such lamp installation. This stub 25 is also provided with the reduced end 28 and the operating lever 29 is secured thereto by the pin 30.

The bulb of the lamp 2? forms the illumination distributing member in the present instance and one half ofthe surface thereof is rendered opaque, by suitable paint or otherwise, as indicated by the heavy lines 31; the purpose whereof will appear presently.

The division wall 16 divides the casing into an upper and a lower compartment and extends between the front and the rear wall and between the end walls 12 and 13 substantially in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the lamp 27 and is out out at 32 to clear the lamp which projects substantially half way into each of the two compartments.

The top walls 33 and 34 cover the lower compartment on each side of the upper compartment; the wall 33 is formed with the depression 35 to clear the lever 29.

The upper portion of the front wall 15 has the cut out portions 36, forming illuminable letters representing the word Stop. The transparent plate 37, in the present instance of red colored glass, is held on the inside of this portion of the front wall by the screws 38; the washer 39, in the present instance of felt, is interposed between the glass and the front wall. This method of holding the glass plate in position is not shown in detail since. it is old and well known in the art.

The lower portion of the front wall 15 has the recess 40 into which the plate 41 fits.

The transparent plate 42, in the present instance of uncolored glass, is disposed in the recess 43 with the washers 44 on each side thereof. The plates 41 and 42 and the washers 44 are all held in oosition by the screws 45 which are threade into the bosses 46 as seen in Fig. 3.

hen this signal light is used on an apparatus which requires a tail light, the plate 42 may be made of red colored glass so that the letters Cleveland appear in red and act as a danger signal as well as an identification signal. When the letters Cleveland so act as a danger signal and a contrast 1s desired between the two signals shown, the plate 37 may be made of glass colored other than red, as green for instance.

The plate 41 is, in the present instance, formed of opaque material and has the openings 47, forming illuminable letters rep resenting the name Cleveland and is removable and renewable so that another plate may be substituted indicating or designating another town, or containing a sign of some other character.

The lever 29 may be operatively connected to any suitable operating means.

The present apparatus operates as follows: When the lamp 27 is illuminating and is in its normal position, rotatively, with the opaque half of the bulb in the upper coinpartment and facing the top wall as seen in Fig. 4, the light rays from the transparent portion of this bulb are all directed downward into the lower compartment, as seen in Fig. 4, and out of this lower compartment partly through the openings 47 to illumine the letters Cleveland and partly through the opening 17 to illumine the license plate 22. The upper compartment, and consequently the letters Stop, is now dark.

When the lever 29 is rotated onefourth of a circle, or 90 degrees, the opaque half 31 of the bulb faces the rear wall 14, as seen in Figs. 2 and '3; substantially one-half of the light rays from the transparent part of the bulb are directed into the lower compartment as formerly While the other half of these light rays are directed upwardly into the upper compartment and out of this compartment through the openings 36 to illumine the letters Stop.

Therefore, when the lamp is in normal position (opaque half in upper compart' ment), the lower compartment and the license plate are illumined; the letters Cleveland now appear illumined but the letters Stop do not appear illumined. When the lamp is rotated one quarter turn (the opaque half facing the rear wall) ,both compartments, and consequently the letters Stop and Cleveland and the license plate appear illumined.

A suitable spring or other means may be introduced in the mechanism which oper ates the lever 29 so that the lamp is always held in normal position with the opaque half of the bulb in the upper compartment. Such means are not shown in the drawing since they are well known in the art.

The apparatus shown has the word Stop permanently fixed to the casing by illuminable letters, but the opaque plate with the letters Cleveland is removably and re newably secured to the case so that only a new plate needs to be installed in case a Word or signal other than Cleveland is to be substituted. Therefore, this apparatus can be manufactured in quantities and the plates made up to suit difierent towns or different signals to be displayed.

We claim:

1. A signal apparatus comprising, a casing divided into two compartments by a division wall, and a lamp mounted to rotate on the longitudinal axis thereof intersecting said division wall and partially extending into both of said compartments and adapted to permanently illumine one of said compartments and upon rotation thereof selectively also illumine the other of said compartments.

2. A signal apparatus comprising, a casing composed of a plurality of compartments, and a lamp mounted to rotate on the longitudinal axis theieof and partially extending into each of said compartments and adapted upon rotation thereof to selectively illumine one of said compartments.

3. A signal apparatus comprising, a casing divided into two compartments by a division wall, a stub rotatably mounted in said casing with the longitudinal axis thereof substantially in alignment with said wall, an operating lever secured to one end of said stub, and a lamp in the other end of said stub and the illumination distributing member thereof partially opaque and projecting partially into each of said compartments.

4. A signal apparatus comprising, a casing composed of two compartments, a lamp rotatably mounted in said casing and the illumination distributing member thereof partially opaque and projecting partially into each of said compartments, illuminable letters provided on the front wall of one of said compartments, illuminable characters provided on the front Wall of the other of said compartments, and means for rotating said lamp to dispose said opaque portion either entirely into one of said compartments or partially into both of said compartments.

5. A signal apparatus comprising, a casing composed of two compartments, a lamp rotatably mounted in said casing and the illumination distributing member thereof partially opaque and projecting partially into each of said compartments, illuminable letters forming the word Stop provided on the'front wall of one of said compartments, illuminable letters representing the letters forming the word Stop permanently provided on the front Wall of one of said compartments, a removable plate on the front Wall of the other of said compartments and provided With illuminable characters, and means for rotating saidlamp to dispose said opaque portion thereof either entirely in the first said compartment or 20 partially into each of said compartments.

DONALD J. MEYER. VIOLA MEYER. 

